(e) Plan, organize and direct budgetary, fiscal, personnel management training, facilities and equipment of the family division. (f) Represent, when authorized by the family division judges, the judicial branch of government in the district with regard to matters affecting the family division. (g) Monitor a system of internal controls which includes payroll, purchasing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, information systems and inventory for the family division. (h) Monitor and, when necessary, expedite movement of the family division court calendars and coordinate the automated case management system in cooperation with the family division clerk’s office. (i) Supervise preparation and submission of reports on activities of the family division to state, regional and local authorities as required by law. (j) Determine what statistics need to be gathered to manage the flow of information pertaining to the family division. (k) Direct research, evaluation and monitoring and propose new and revised policies as necessary to improve work operations. (l) Coordinate the calendars and activities of judges visiting from other jurisdictions and of masters assigned for specific purposes. (m) Represent the family division on regional and statewide judicial and justice system coordinating councils, conferences, conventions and committees as assigned by the presiding judge or the court administrator. (n) Handle public information and liaison with other government executive, legislative and judicial agencies and the community. (o) Perform such other functions and duties as may be assigned by the district judges serving in the family division. Rule 1.60. Assignment or transfer of cases generally. (a) The chief judge shall have the authority to assign or reassign all cases pending in the district. Unless otherwise provided in these rules, all cases must be distributed on a random basis. However, when a case is remanded to a lower court or tribunal for further proceedings, it must be returned to the original judge at the conclusion of these proceedings. (b) The chief judge may, in the event the calendar of any judge becomes unusually congested due to extraordinary circumstances, redistribute a calendar or a portion thereof on an equitable basis provided, however, that the calendar of a judge serving in the family division may not be redistributed in violation of NRS 3.0105. (c) Any judge who plans to be absent on a judicial day (for vacation, education or other court approved project) must reset the time for the hearing of his or her cases or arrange for another department to handle the judge’s calendar, and shall coordinate planned absences with the chief judge to assure that adequate judicial coverage is maintained. If a judge is ill or unexpectedly absent, the judge’s secretary or the chief judge must arrange for the absent judge’s calendar to be heard by any other district judge. (d) Judges who disqualify themselves from hearing a case must direct the entry of an appropriate minute order for reassignment on a random basis. If all the trial judges in this district are disqualified, the clerk must notify the court administrator to reassign the case to a senior judge or a visiting judge from another judicial district. (e) Under the supervision of the chief judge, the court administrator shall assign appropriate matters to available senior judges and visiting judges. (f) No attorney or party may directly or indirectly influence or attempt to influence the clerk of the court or court staff or any officer thereof to assign a case to a particular judge. A violation of this rule is an act of contempt of court and may be punished accordingly. (g) These rules also apply to the family division, its judges and presiding judge. (h) When, upon motion of a party, or sua sponte by the court, it appears to the assigned judge that a case has been improperly assigned to the wrong division of the court, then that judge must transfer the case to the correct division and order the clerk’s office to randomly reassign the case to a judge serving in the new division. Any objection to the ruling must be heard by the chief judge in the same manner as objections to a discovery recommendation under Rule 2.34(f). The ruling of the chief judge is final and non-appealable. [As amended; September 20, 1999.] Rule 1.61. Assignment of business matters. Unless otherwise provided in these rules, business matters must be divided evenly among those full-time civil judges deemed necessary to handle all business matters. (a) “Business Matters” shall be deemed as follows: (1) Disputes concerning the validity, control, operation, or governance of entities created under NRS Chapters 78-88, including shareholder derivative suits; (2) Disputes concerning trademarks asserted under Nevada law, causes of action asserted pursuant to the Nevada Trade Secrets Acts, the Nevada Securities Act, involving investment securities described in Article 8 of the Nevada Uniform Commercial Code; or commodities described in NRS Chapter 90; (3) Disputes between two business entities where the court determines that the case would benefit from enhanced case management. (b) The following shall not be deemed business matters: (1) Matters where the primary claim is an action for personal injury; (2) An action based on products liability; (3) An action brought by a consumer against a business; (4) An action for wrongful termination of employment; or (5) Landlord-tenant disputes shall not be deemed a business matter. (c) Either party in a case may file a request in the pleadings that a case be assigned as a business matter. If the request is made by the plaintiff, the case will automatically be assigned to a full-time civil judge assigned to business matters. If the request is not made by the plaintiff, but is made by a defendant in its answer, the case shall be randomly reassigned to a business court judge for determination whether the case should be handled as a business court matter. (d) The court shall decide whether a case is or is not a business matter and that decision shall not be appealable by any appeal nor reviewable upon any writ; any matters not deemed a business matter shall be randomly reassigned if it was originally assigned to the business court. If a case was remanded to the business court for determination of whether it would be handled as a business court matter and the business court deems it not to be a business court matter, that case will be remanded back to the department to which it was originally assigned. [Added; effective January 1, 2001.] Rule 1.62. Assignment of civil cases. Unless otherwise provided in these rules, all civil cases not designated business matters shall be divided among those trial judges assigned to the civil/criminal division and full-time civil division; additionally, any civil case which will take 4 weeks or more to try may be handled by a full-time civil judge. No department assignment may be made for uncontested probate matters, or mental competency cases. (a) Assignment of civil cases to full-time civil judges. Civil cases shall be assigned randomly to the balance of full-time civil judges not designated business court judges. In addition to random assignment of cases, civil cases initially assigned to a civil/criminal judge may be reassigned and transferred to a full-time civil judge not hearing business matters if the trial of the matter is likely to exceed 4 weeks in length. (b) At the time these rules take effect, all pending civil cases will be analyzed and a determination made by the presently assigned judge to: (1) Keep the case and try it; (2) Reassign it to the business court; (3) Determine the likely length of the trial and, if the trial will exceed 4 weeks in length, the case may be remanded to a full-time civil judge, or leave the case as is and available for random reassignment to another civil/criminal judge to accommodate case reassignment pursuant to these rules. [As amended; effective January 1, 2001.] Rule 1.63. Assignment of family cases. Unless otherwise provided in these rules, all family cases must be divided evenly among the judges serving in the family division, except the presiding judge pursuant to Rule 5.42. The family division judges shall determine how to assign guardianship cases. Upon the election of a new presiding judge, the caseload of the new presiding judge shall be adjusted with the out-going presiding judge in the most efficient manner to accommodate the judiciary, the bar and the litigants. [Amended; effective August 21, 2000.] Rule 1.64. Assignment of criminal cases. (a) Each criminal case must be randomly assigned to the civil/criminal trial judge aligned with that department of justice court which initiated the case, in accordance with the track and team system. This rule does not apply to misdemeanor appeals from a municipal court. The trial judges in the civil/criminal division will rotate the hearing of misdemeanor appeals from municipal courts on a monthly basis. (b) When an indictment is filed against a defendant who had the same case pending against him or her filed by complaint in justice court, the indictment must be assigned directly to the trial judge to whom the complaint had originally been tracked. [As amended; effective January 1, 2001.] Rule 1.70. Cases to be calendared to preserve track and team system. The integrity of the track and team system must be preserved. The procedures must be appropriately modified by the chief judge when additional tracks are formed or additional judgeships created.

Vegas Law